The Sorting Hat's Mistake
by Kalsypher
Summary: After learning about the Wizarding World, I became obsessed with potions. The head of Slytherin was the potions professor. I begged the Sorting Hat to put me there...I ended up in Hufflepuff.
1. Chapter 1

I stared stupidly at the letter in my hands. Magic? I had been accepted into a school of magic, one that I had never heard of, much less applied for. It even came with a train ticket at King's Cross. The supply list was questionable at best. Cauldron, wand, books with ridiculous names. This wasn't real.

"Magic?" My father asked as he took the letter from my hands. "Like, card tricks?"

"I'm not interested in it," I replied. "Magic is just silly illusions."

"I think you should go," my mother said. "It's not like you're doing so great here."

That much was true. I had been sick for quite some time, unable to eat anything and surviving off blood transfusions and broth. The doctors had no clue what was wrong with me and had tried every treatment the world could offer. They could only say my heart was weak, and it was only a matter of time. Fortunately, I had enough energy to move around and do as I pleased, but I couldn't go out in public in fear of spreading my bizarre disease or getting worse. I suppose one last adventure wouldn't hurt. After all, I could just return if I didn't like it.

A few weeks passed, and my condition got worse. I could tell by the warmer temperatures I was getting colder, but not weaker, though the doctors said otherwise. As the end of July began to approach, my parents decided to take me shopping for my strange school supplies. However, before we even stepped out of the house, we were stopped by a package.

It was addressed to me from the same school. I skeptically opened the box to find a small, textured beaker filled with red liquid. With it was a note.

"Drink this every six hours. It won't cure your disease, but it will make you feel better." My father read. "Do you think she should try it?" He asked my mother.

She had tears in her eyes as she kneeled to my level and hugged me, "You do what you think is best, sweetie," she encouraged. "Just know that I love you and I will always love you."

She did this before every treatment. If it was going to be my last, at least I would die knowing my parents loved me. I pulled the cork out and was greeted by a warm scent. It reminded me of my father's freshly brewed coffee he made on Saturday mornings only. Rich, earthy, almost sweet.

Since it didn't smell bad, I immediately drank the contents and found the liquid to taste almost the way it smelled. I could feel my body warming up. The world didn't seem so dreary anymore. It was like I had been given a second chance at life.

I was pulled from my stupor when my mom sobbed while embracing me. My father had taken the beaker from my hands and was looking at it, trying to find the courage to smell it.

Her hands felt cool on my heated cheeks, and I felt better. Maybe this magic stuff was real. Maybe it would cure me, with time. How great would that be?

When we got in the car, I couldn't shut up about this school called Hogwarts. I ranted and raved about the illusions of magic and how I was possibly wrong about the entire thing seeing as house I had been cured of my symptoms, for the time being. My parents made sure to remind me of taking my medicine, but also finding out what the liquid was and what it was made from so they would know if I could build a resistance to it, or maybe an allergy. Ever since I had first gotten sick, they had been on a health craze, washing everything all the time, cooking with only vegetables, no dairy, no eggs, no animal anything.

Now, I felt like I could eat an entire buffet. All those months without solid food had come to an end, though the letter stated on the back I was not allowed to eat anything solid until I got to school.

It felt like ages before we got to London where this Leaky Cauldron pub place was. It was odd since my parents acted as if they couldn't see it, but when I pulled them to it, they tried to keep me from walking into an abandoned building.

Once I managed to get them inside, it seemed their eyes were opened as they stared in awe of the rather run down joint. It fascinated me as well, a broom sweeping the floor, candles floating around the room, chairs moving all by themselves.

"The awe of a Muggle-born and her parents is always refreshing," a lanky old man said from behind the counter. Though he was rather homely, he still had a kind smile. "My name is Tom' and I'm the keeper of the Leaky Cauldron."

I walked to the counter, barely able to see over it, "Mr. Tom, where is Diagonal Alley?"

He pointed at a hallway, "Right that way, dear. Get your robes first. It doesn't take long for the seamstress to get them hemmed, but you've come at a busy time. It may take some time."

I nodded with a growing smile as I headed to the hallway he had gestured to. As I got to the end, my smile began to fade when I was greeted by a brick wall. I placed my hand on it just to make sure it was real, and it was. There was no sound coming from the other side of the wall. Was it a lie?

I jumped back when the bricks began to shake and slowly fold back, revealing a massive crowd in a narrow alley. The noise was practically overwhelming as parents yelled for their children or the laughter of children or the screeching of strange animals echoed around.

Tall, yet squatty, buildings seeming to reach the skies lined the streets, a giant white building with a massive dragon being at the end. What was this place?

And the people were dressed in such bizarre clothing. Robes of all things, all different shades and fabrics. Some wearing pointed hats, even. I felt like I had stepped into Halloween Town.

"We need to go there first," my father said as he pushed me through the crowd toward the dragon building. "That's where we can get money for the books."

Everything was silent in this building that was supposed to be a bank. Odd, angry looking, ugly creatures were hard at work with whatever they were doing.

"Do you have a key?" The creature asked, glaring nastily at my father over his half-moon glasses.

"Well, no," my father answered. "Mr. Tom back at the pub told me to tell you I was a Muggle and I needed to change money."

"Ah," the creature grumbled, though not as angry as he had been. "I'll explain what I can to you as far as money goes in the Wizarding World."

I was barely able to focus on the creature, who claimed to be a goblin named Nord, as he spoke about Knuts, Sickles, and Galleons. My father managed to get enough money for all of my things, though it didn't seem like much. In his words, however, he basically said that it was like buying college books all over again.

"Sometimes Muggle-born are given discounts, if you talk to the right person," Nord said before we could walk away. "Welcome to your new life."

I gave a quiet thank you and followed my parents out, shy and baffled at the creature I had just encountered. Was the rest of this place going to be like this?

It was. The building where robes could be bought, Madame Malkin's Robes for All Occasions was filled with parents arguing with men and women over the robes for their children. Children were on various stands getting measured by floating measuring ropes and a quill that was scribbling on a notepad. The woman only had to glance at the paper before pulling out a stick and tapping it on various parts of the robe. Scissors would suddenly appear, cutting the fabric, a swing needle and thread following behind to keep the hem from falling apart.

"Oh look, a Mud-blood," someone said as they slammed their shoulder into mine.

The girl froze in place when I grabbed her wrist, forcing her to stop in place. I wasn't mad, just confused, yet there was nothing but fear in her eyes. "L-Let me go," she demanded.

"You called me a Mud-blood," I replied.

"I-I take it back. Please don't hurt me," she begged.

"But, I don't know what a Mud-blood is," I frowned as she ran away.

Left alone in the crowd, I looked around trying to find my parents. Near the wall that had released us into Diagon Alley, my parents stood talking with a red haired man that seemed incredibly interested in them.

Rather than bother them, I made my way to the other shops to gather my other supplies. Everything was so strange, the bookstore having books of all kinds, hexes, curses, healing, charms, everything imaginable, even some on basic house cleaning. As I looked through the books, I found my focus on potions. There were cures for diseases that were impossible to cure, poisons of all kinds, way to change appearances, even a weird formula to create liquid fire.

The people in Flourish & Blotts gave me odd, almost fearful glances, but mostly kept to themselves. Finally, I found the wand shop, the ultimate source of a wizard's power. Ollivanders, it was called.

The rickety building had much to be desired as I opened the door. I thought I heard a bell, but there was no way I could be certain. The dimly lit place had a few lanterns, and what sunlight that came through the window seemed to sparkle with dust.

"And what do we have here?"

My attention when to an old man who was hanging on a ladder. The store said it had been open since the B.C. age, and this man definitely looked like he might be the founder.

"What's your name?" He asked as he stepped down the ladder.

"Avaeda Carrow," I smiled weakly.

"I see," he murmured as he began looking at what could have been shoe boxes, but thinner. "The wand chooses the witch, Ms. Carrow." He handed me a stick, "Oak, nine inches."

My arm felt weird, and almost impulsively, I pointed at the lamp. I gasped when it exploded. He took the stick back and began looking for another. While he gave me the sticks, he told me a little about them. Cores of the wands mattered, apparently, as did the wood. The way he listed the woods made it seem like hundreds existed, but there were only three cores. By the end of it, I had a hazel wand with dragon heartstring. I liked the odd thing, the interesting swirly design similar to clouds in Chinese dragon art being the handle.

The old man kept giving me a suspicious look, even as I left. When I stepped out, the was still a crowd, but it was quieter. I started to feel dreary again. I hadn't noticed how cold I had become. Colors weren't as bright. Thinking back to the thing I drank earlier, I headed for my parents, knowing my mother would have brought it with her.

When I arrived where I had last seen them, only the red haired man stood, talking with, I assumed, his family.

"There you are," my father called from behind me.

Something was placed on my shoulder and fell into my arms. Possibly the smallest kitten I had ever seen was staring up at me with green eyes. The silver cat had folded ears that stole my heart.

"Well, hello, there," I cooed with a growing smile, and tearing eyes. "You're so cute I could cry." My attention went to my mother, "Did you bring that stuff? I think the six hours is coming to an end."

She blinked a couple of times before rummaging through her purse. After a couple of moments and nearly emptying her purse into my father's hands, she found what she was looking for.

My father's nose scrunched up as he watched me drink it. "How can you drink something that smells so terrible?"

"It smells like coffee," I replied with a frown. "Did you stop drinking coffee?"

"No, but there's no way that's coffee," he replied. "It smells like sulfur and iron."

Maybe this magic world was changing me. If my parents weren't magical, they would probably be different than me on many ends.

I followed my parents toward the brick wall that would take us back to the Leaky Cauldron. The ocean of red hair was still standing in the entrance, the man that had been talking with my parents talking very excitedly about something.

"Mr. Weasley," my father called to the man as he pushed me forward. "This is my daughter, Avaeda. avaeda, this is Arthur Weasley, a man that works with the Ministry of Magic and studies Muggles, which is what your mother and I are?" He ended his introduction uncertainly, almost asking Mr. Weasley if he had said everything correctly.

"Of course, the word Muggle isn't meant to be offensive," Mr. Weasley smiled as he shook my hand, though his eyes were on my father. "So, Ms. Avaeda, this will be your first year?"

"Yes, sir," I answered shyly.

"It's Fred and George's first year, as well," he smiled as he placed his hands on the heads of two identical boys. "It's Bill's last year, Charlie's fifth year, and Percy's third year."

My eyes followed the children as he introduced them. "That's a lot."

"I have two more at home sick with my wife," he said proudly.

"Do you have any siblings?" The twin I think was named Fred asked.

"No, I'm adopted," I smiled.

"Now," my father said as he put his hand on my shoulder, "I want you to clean up your room. I've invited the Weasleys to have supper with us."

I grinned widely. We hadn't had company in months. I had been too sick. Not only are we having guests, but we were having new, exciting people. People we didn't understand and people that didn't understand us. It was exciting.

"When?" I asked curiously.

"Next week," my father informed me. "Mr. Weasley has been particularly excited about having Muggle food, though I don't really think there's a difference."

"There's only one way to find out," Mr. Weasley said with a smile. He turned his attention to the twins, "Now, I want you two to behave. She might be sorted into your house."

"Sorted?" I asked.

"Yes, sorted. Hogwarts has four houses to be sorted in," Mr. Weasley began explaining. "There's Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw. You get sorted into the house according to your personality."

The tallest of the group, Bill, kneeled to my level, looking me straight in the eyes. After a moment, he smiled, "You'll do well in whatever house you're placed in."

"You don't think she'll get put in Slytherin, do you?" One of the twins questioned as he scrunched his nose.

"If you're put in Slytherin, we can't be friends," the other smiled, clearly joking, though his father gave him a scolding glare.

"George, you should apologize. Not everyone from Slytherin is bad," Arthur stated.

"I'm only joking, Dad," the boy replied as he smiled at me. "Don't worry, there's no way you'll be in Slytherin."


	2. Chapter 2

July 25 was the day the Weasleys were to come over. There were more of them than I had expected. The strangest thing about them was how they appeared in our fireplace. Mr. Weasley had given us warning when we first spoke with him in Diagon Alley, but I didn't expect green flames to appear and a person to walk out.

Out of curtesy to our rather Muggle ways, the family wore Muggle clothing, which Percy didn't seem particularly of. Mr. Weasley was wearing an interesting plaid button down with khaki pants, which I thought was better than the faded robes he had been wearing when I first met him. With him, his wonderful, loving wife, Molly, who wore a floral printed dress. She also had red hair, curly and frizzy, but I believed my hair would look like that too, after all the kids she had. Bill came next, dressed in a black polo with khakis. The rest of the boys were dressed similarly, though their shirts were different colors. I got to meet the twins' younger brother, Ron who seemed baffled by the lack of magic in the house, as well as Ginny, the little sister of the household.

"How could you not travel by Floo Powder?" Ron asked as he followed me around the house. "What other ways of travel are there?"

"There are loads of ways. Bicycles, skateboards, roller blades, cars, planes. Guess none of that is faster than Floo Powder'" I commented as I continued folding towels.

"Why are you folding them?" He asked.

"So I can put them in the closet," I answered.

"Can we try?" Fred and George asked.

They pretty much knew what to do, but had never had a Muggle teach them the Muggle way. They found the lack of perfection to be almost charming. Everything about the house seemed to fascinate them. For whatever reason they insisted pictures could move, though they had no proof.

Mrs. Weasley, Mr. Weasley, Bill, and Charlie were the only ones that seemed interested in what was going on in the kitchen. Percy had found a book of philosophy my father kept in the living room and was reading it, so focused I truly believed the house could have burned down and he wouldn't have noticed. When I turned on the television, Ron immediately stopped talking and just stared at the box. Ginny had gathered Felix, my little kitten, and was petting him, almost like she was hypnotized by the television.

"Whoa, what's this?" Fred asked.

My attention turned to an empty vial that had the red liquid in it. To my surprise, there was more red in it as if it had been refilled.

"Don't touch it," Charlie called from the kitchen. "It's dragon blood. It's very acidic, melt the skin right off your bones."

Another fun fact I had learned since I last saw the Weasleys was I was a vampire and had been for almost ten years. It was unclear as to why the symptoms were just starting to show since it was a condition that had almost immediate symptoms. Dragon blood had been discovered to give a short term treatment, letting the turned person feel a little more alive.

Once I had learned that, my heart and soul went into the books I had bought to find any sort of way to cure or find a better way of dealing with the condition before it became a way of life, if it wasn't already. So far I had only found information on dragon blood and the wolfsbane potion used for werewolves.

"So, what's it like having to live off the life of another creature?" Fred asked.

"Have you had to get your own blood yet?" George questioned.

"Not yet," I replied as I showed them different books I thought they would find interesting. "I'm hoping I won't have to. Someone at Hogwarts has been sending me the dragon blood. I wonder if they've ever dealt with someone like me before. All the vampires I've read about have pretty much kept to themselves."

"Read? You're studying already?" The twins questioned.

"I need answers on how to return to a human. No one knows for sure how to, but this is magic. Anything is possible if you do it right." I explained.

Before they could say anything, something broke in the kitchen. I felt a strange pulse in my heart, making it race. There was jasmine in the air. My mother was bleeding. She was at the sink with Mrs. Weasley trying to stop the bleeding from a cut on her hand. I don't know what stopped me from doing whatever I was going to do, but somehow I had started cleaning up the mess. Maybe I wasn't completely damned yet, though the looks Percy gave me were telling me otherwise.

"I'm afraid the food is ruined, but I can fix the plate," Mr. Weasley offered as he pulled out his wand and pointed it at the shards in my hand. Pieces I had missed from the floor floated to my hands and swirled around a bit, the pieces flipping and twisting until they created the plate once more and sealed together with an orange glow.

"Not to worry," my mother replied. "There is more in the fridge. Ava, sweetie, will you get the rest from the fridge."

My mother had a problem. She was a nervous wreck when it came to company. She would cook enough food for a small army, and since the Weasley family was a small army, she cooked nearly three times more than normal.

I helped with her making everything right for the Weasleys who insisted we not go through the trouble.

"You wanted a Muggle meal," my father joked.

Fred and George begged to help set the table, something I always thought to be a chore. I helped them best I could with directing them how to place things.

"Muggles and their rules," Fred groaned as he finally placed the last glass down on the table.

"All done," George smiled.

I felt guilty being able to tell the twins apart. Visually, there was almost no difference. Unfortunately, it was their scent. I had never truly realized people had "flavors" until I started drinking the dragon blood, but scents more prominent. Human smells were attractive, not like steak or a delicious dinner, but more like something that would catch your attention in a store. No, you don't want to eat that floral scented candle or have a taste of the fruity lotion, but it always caught your attention. After the taste and smell of dragon blood, I believed everything I smelled would taste the same.

"So, what are you going to be eating?" Bill asked as he took the seat across the table from me.

"Whoever is sending me the blood told me not to eat until school started, so I'm waiting until then. I guess there's a vampire diet I need to follow."

"The village near the school does sell vampire specific candy and pasties," Charlie noted. "We're not supposed to go there until third year, but they may make an exception for you. You'd probably have to go with Professor Snape."

"Snape?" Bill questioned. "I doubt he's one to make candies."

"I think it would benefit her to be in Slytherin for the access to the potions ingredients, and to be on the good side of Professor Snape," Charlie argued. "It makes the most sense to me."

"I agree," Percy stated. "At any rate, she can't be in Gryffindor."

"You're just saying that because she's a vampire," Ron stated as he started eating his mashed potatoes.

"Though I agree with Ron," Bill began as he glared at Percy, "Percy still makes a good argument. Being in Gryffindor would only lessen your chances of being able to find an answer to your problem."

My mother, my father, and I stayed quiet as we listened to the bickering. My eyes moved to George who was next to me, "Is Gryffindor a good house?"

"So far, we've all been sorted into Gryffindor," he said. "And I was joking. If you're in Slytherin, I'll still talk to you."

I frowned, "And the other houses? Are they better than Slytherin?"

"I think so," George said. "I don't know anyone from any of the other houses, though. I heard that incredibly smart people go to Ravenclaw and really weak people go to Hufflepuff."

"Hufflepuff is not a weak house," Mr. Weasley told me. "While the other houses tend to prove themselves being brave, smart, or cunning, Hufflepuffs are the kind of people you don't see every day. They're the ones who would find a way to stop the rain if it meant making a friend's day just a bit better. There are many kind-hearted souls in Hufflepuff. Be that as it may, I don't know where you will be put, but it never hurts to ask to be placed in a different house than where you're believed to go."

"Arthur, is Ava going to be alright at Hogwarts?" My mother asked as she took a seat at the table. "Surely there will be other vampires there."

"It's not as common as people like to think. Most of them are in Western Europe and attend the magic schools there, so a vampire would be quite rare in Hogwarts. There are better chances of a werewolf to show up than a vampire."

While everyone began eating the delicious smelling supper my mother had made, I kept to the dragon blood as directed. Many of them gave me sad or guilty glances, while Ron and Ginny specifically continued to bother me with questions about vampires. I greatly appreciated Charlie for informing the group of vampires so I would know more about myself and what to expect.

"Charlie," I interrupted after the eighth time he had stopped himself from calling vampires creatures, "I'm fine with being called a creature. It's less confusing that way."

"But, that's not really true, is it? I've never really come across this predicament, and it's easier to call werewolves human since they are, in fact, human most of the time. There is no coming back from being a vampire," he argued.

"Yet," I replied. "I will be human again, or I will die trying."

"Do you think it's possible?" Fred asked.

Mr. Weasley sighed, "I don't know. From what I understand, Snape is an incredible potions master, but there's no telling how many centuries or how many witches, wizards, or vampires have tried to create a cure."

I frowned slightly as I looked at the dragon blood in front of me. "I'm sure I can figure something out. If there's a way to help werewolves, there's a way to help vampires."

"It's called blood," Ron said with a mouth full of food. He gave a hard swallow under his mother's glare. "Not that it would be a waste of time to try."

I was slightly surprised everyone was still able to eat after such a gory conversation. Even my parents were still eating, and they couldn't give blood without passing out. Every once in a while, something garlicky would get to close to me and make my nose scrunch so I could prevent an audible gag from disrupting everyone.

Everyone got along well enough, except Percy. It seemed he saw himself as superior to everyone in his family, though he was undoubtedly not the greatest of the three brothers already attending Hogwarts. Personally, I couldn't see him getting much better than where he was. He was a shadow in his brothers' wake. He tried too hard.

Once supper ended, Mrs. Weasley offered to wash the dishes for us, but Mr. Weasley insisted on helping manually. It was very interesting having to teach a grown man how to wash dishes and answer his questions on why we used sponges and what a dishwasher did.

Soon enough, it was time for our guests to go home the same way they came. One by one, they thanked us, stepped into the fire and shouted "The Burrow!" before disappearing in green flame.

"See you soon," Fred said before he stepped in.

"We'll save you a seat on the train," George said as he followed his brother.

Once the last Weasley was gone, all of us sighed and sat down on the couch. Never before have we had to deal with so many people or so many voices. Even my father, who was a motivational speaker, barely had the energy to move after the socializing.

"At least they're nice," all three of us said.

My father placed his hand on my head, rubbing my blonde hair into my eyes, "I don't know anything about what they said, but I'm glad you'll have friends waiting for you."

I nodded, "Yeah. For now, at least. I know George said he was joking, but what if Slytherin turns out to be that bad?"

"I'm sure you can write each other letters," my mother said. "Which reminds me, we need to buy you some notebooks and pencils. I don't know how they think you can do math without any of that. Parchment, quills, and ink. Bigger, better things have come. I'm sure a spiral notebook and binder won't hurt. Oh, and we can pull out you backpack."

Within six days, my mother had dragged me all across town shopping for clothes for me to wear to school. All we knew was the school was in Scotland and I would only be allowed to return home for Christmas. That meant snow, and a lot of it. Since winter was still a few months away, my mother managed to get decent prices on the coats and thick pants she bought for me, and it was an abundance of clothing. I could barely close my trunk.

Upon my arrival at King's Cross, my parents and I looked around for the Weasleys. They had agreed to meet us there at 9:30 so they could show me how to get on the train. My father had agreed to afternoon tea with Mr. Weasley and to show him around the Muggle city.

"Ava!"

My eyes found a sea of red staring back at me, the twins smiling as I headed toward them. Again, they were wearing Muggle clothes. I suppose it was a Muggle environment.

"Fred, George," I greeted, looking directly at each twin when I said their names.

"Mum, she's doing better than you," George joked.

"We've only met her twice and she can tell us apart," Fred grinned.

"Can we go?" Percy asked impatiently.

Our large group headed to a post marked with 9 and 10.

"It's just on the other side," Mrs. Weasley told me.

A large hand rested on my shoulder, turning my attention to Bill, who smiled down at me. "Just watch."

He grabbed his trolley filled with things and ran toward the brick post, disappearing as he entered. Charlie did the same before Fred and George looked at me.

"We'll be right behind you," they said with identical smiles.

I hugged my parents, promising to write before I grabbed my trolley and rushed at the brick wall. I felt my heart drop as I neared the pole. When I hit the wall, I found myself almost running into Charlie. There was a lot of noise and a lot of smells, primarily exhaust coming from a brilliant red train labeled Hogwarts Express. I pushed my trolley toward the train, following Charlie as he followed Bill. Soon, Fred and George were at my side, telling me all about what was going on. We stopped at a place and the twins helped me unload my trunk as I grabbed my backpack, nearly falling over from the weight.

And to think it didn't have any books yet.

My mother had given me nearly twenty five vials of dragon blood, all that had to be disguised in larger, dark colored beakers for better travel, as well as all my binders, notepads, and a life time supply of pencils and pens. Snacks and things Felix would need were buried in the things as well, which weighed it down more.

"Weird," Fred and George awed as they looked through the stuff in my bag.

"George, it's got lines!" Fred exclaimed.

George was too fascinated with the clicking pen to listen to his brother.

It was weird, being on the other side of the excitement. I must have looked like that, if not fearful, when I was introduced to all the magic. Once they got bored with the basic items, they left the room to go place odd smoke bombs that changed people's voices. While they were gone, I pulled the curtain and changed into my robes, the skirt being very annoying as well as the dark leggings I wore. Once I was satisfied, I tucked my wand away and sat down with Felix, sleeping in my lap.

Everything seemed so out of place in this far off place. The cities were gone, green pastures speckles with different beasts zooming by before I could identify them. On occasion, we would slow down for a village, just in case someone tried to jump in front of the train. It seemed at every passing station, children were standing and waving. I always waved back, even if they couldn't see me.

Tucking Felix into my robe pocket, I left the room to just explore the was laughing and yelling, and colorful smoke with high squeals or low bellowing growls. Fred and George could be heard all across the train as well as other students who hadn't faced their pranks yet. I partly wondered if they would do anything to me.

"Oh, hello, Ava," Bill greeted as he stepped out of a compartment.

I couldn't help but laugh at how high pitched his voice had become, "Hello, Bill."

"It seems Fred and George are looking for Percy. Will you help them find him before they accidentally do something to the-" his voice returned to the low baritone, "conductor."

"Yeah, I'll see what I can do," I smiled. It faded when I saw the badge on his robes, "Head Boy?"

He gave his pin a glance before shrugging, "It just means I'm responsible for what you do. Even students not in my house are sort of under my authority. We're the house head's second-in-command. Students come to us before they go to the head of the house."

"Oh, okay," I replied with a smile.

"Don't worry," he smiled assuringly, "You won't have to worry about whether or not you want to be a Head Girl until your sixth year."

"Oh, alright," I grinned, "I'll go look for Percy. I'll see you later."

I rushed off, the opposite direction of the twins hoping to find Percy before too much chaos ensued. I knew it was all fun and games, but I was still new to magic. After all the reading I had done, the twins could very well blow up the train. I really didn't want that to happen.


	3. Chapter 3

I never found Percy. Fortunately for the conductor, the twins did find their elder brother and when I saw him get of the train, his hair was a lovely green, his voice disturbingly low as he directed students which way to go.

Soon, a large, burly man with bushy hair appeared in the darkness, holding a lantern to help light the way for first years to get to some boats. My jaw dropped when I saw the castle. Standing proudly on top of a haggard cliff was a castle that almost blended in with the night sky. Even with the lights in its many windows, the castle could barely be seen over the black lake.

"Wicked," the twins chimed as they boarded the boat I was in.

I had seen castles before but never something so massive or one that someone was living in it. The closer it got, the more magical the situation seemed. How could something so incredible be hidden away? Did Muggles not know what they were missing?

When the boats docked, the large group of children I was mixed with scrambled up some stone stairs until we were at two large doors. For most of this experience, I had been excited. Now that I was actually there at the castle, I took a step back, moving closer to Fred and George.

"It is kind of scary," Fred said calmly, helping me slightly.

"Yeah, I didn't know it would be so big," George mumbled.

I pulled out the vial of dragon blood from my robe pocket and lifted it to my lips before someone snatched it from my hands and sniffed it. Fred, George, and I froze when we saw the boy gag and glare at the bottle. "This isn't firewhiskey," he announced. "Pointless."

I reached to grab the vial from him just as the doors opened, distracting me and letting the vial fall to the ground. Everyone around me gagged while I frowned at the blood on the ground.

The stern faced woman was already looking at me while I looked back at her. Pulling her wand, she gave it a wave, the glass vial put itself back together and the dragon blood refilled the bottle allowing me to drink it.

Despite her strict, almost cold, demeanor, she gave us a warm welcome to Hogwarts and a brief explanation of what was about to happen. "I will show you to the Great Hall where you will be sorted. Once you have been placed in your house, you will join your housemates there. While you are here, they will be like your family. I expect you to treat them as such."

The large doors opened and we followed the woman in. Staying close to Fred and George, I could only see the people to my immediate left, dressed in black and red. I wondered which house that was. My eyes left the surrounding people and moved to the ceiling that Fred and George were pointing at. It was as though they had captured the night sky and placed it over the ceiling. Candles floated around, almost blending in with the stars.

Everything soon fell silent. No one said a word, or breathed, while a stool was placed in front of us. A pointed hat as old as time slouched on the chair. Was that the Sorting Hat? I thought it would be grander, not dusty and worn.

To my surprise, the Hat began to sing a strange song, mentioning all the traits of the houses. Gryffindor for the brave. Hufflepuff for the loyal. Ravenclaw for the witty. Slytherin for the cunning.

As I mulled over the hat's words, I tried to figure out where it would put me. I was far from brave. I had selective loyalty. I had plenty of wit. I had my moments of cunning. From that, I figured I would be placed in Ravenclaw. That wasn't where I needed to be. I needed to be in Slytherin. I needed access to potions.

The old woman began calling out names, making my blood go cold. They sat there on the stool with that Hat on their heads talking to them, all eyes watching and waiting. By the time my name came, there had been six Ravenclaws, seven Gryffindors, two Hufflepuffs, and no Slytherins.

Hoping to break the trend, I stepped to the stool and struggled to sit on the tall wooden object while the Hat was placed on my head.

"My, what dark thoughts you have," the Hat murmured. "Unnatural for a girl your age to simply want to kill and drink the blood from innocent victims." It chuckled at my confusion. Not once had I wanted to harm anyone. "Such are the thoughts of any vampire. But, you want to be placed in Slytherin. Being near the potions master would give you an advantage on your endeavors, however, you do not belong there. I see you've made friend's with some Weasleys, a good bunch they are, all getting placed in Gryffindor, but you know you don't belong there either. A kind heart and a shining soul. You belong with those that understand your pain. HUFFLEPUFF!"

The table to my right gave a loud cheer. Hopping down, I half sulked over, though the twins were cheering as well, happy I wasn't in Slytherin. Many greeted me, shaking my hand as I sat down with other first years.

I watched as the woman called Fred's name, but George took his place. It was interesting to hear the Hat laugh so loudly before announcing "GRYFFINDOR!" Fred was also placed in Gryffindor after taking George's spot. By the end of it, Ravenclaw had received the most first years, somewhere around thirty and Hufflepuff the least with only ten.

After an old man with a long white beard gave a strange brief speech, food appeared on the table. Rather than an empty plate, my plate came with food already on it, and a note telling me what everything was. All were various items of some kind with blood in them. Iguana blood rolls, chicken blood black pudding, a strange sort of blood haggis, and turkey meat that had been soaked in blood. My goblet was enchanted to have blood in it unless I specified otherwise, which was helpful information. It seemed with the amount of blood available to me, I would be able to enjoy the other things in life once again.

"Avaeda Carrow, was it?" A young boy smiled. "I'm Cedric Diggory. I'm s first year, too. You look...different."

"I am different," I replied. "Did you expect to be placed in Hufflepuff?"

He blushed slightly, "Not really. I really thought I would get put in Ravenclaw of Gryffindor. What about you?"

"Slytherin," I grumbled, glaring at the garlic bread that had been placed by me. I pushed the bread away before taking a bite of my bread.

"What are you eating?" He asked as he looked around to see where I had grabbed my food.

"Iguana blood roll, I think," I replied as I took another bite and swallowed dragon blood after it. "I'm a vampire."

"Seriously?" He gasped. "You're going to kill us all while we sleep!"

I frowned, "I haven't killed anyone. Someone's been supplying me with blood for the past few weeks." I lifted up my goblet, "Dragon blood."

A look of skepticism crossed his features, "Monsters belong in Slytherin."

The brown haired boy abruptly stood, moving to sit with someone else. Soon the word had covered the Hufflepuff table before someone decided to approach me.

"Vampire, huh?" The older teen glared, his dark eyes glittering in the floating candle light. "You're not a real Hufflepuff. Muggle-born monsters belong in Slytherin like the rest of the snakes."

"I hardly think I'm a monster," I grumbled into my goblet. "I thought this was supposed to be the nice house, but I guess not."

Before I knew it, there was a tall Weasley hovering over the teen's shoulder. "Paul, you should learn to respect Avaeda. She's a good girl. Keep it up, and you'll have to deal with me and Charlie." Bill smiled at me, "Fred and George want to talk to you, Ava."

I moved to get up, but froze under Paul's gaze. "As Head Boy of Hufflepuff, you will not be visiting the Gryffindors inside this Hall."

Bill laughed, "Still mad you broke your arm last year? Instead of taking it out on a first year, take it up with Charlie at the Quidditch match. She shouldn't be kept from her friends, especially since they're the only ones that don't care what she is."

"You have no say in this house," Paul growled.

My eyes left the arguing seventh years, moving to the beckoning twins. Slowly, I slipped away, meeting up with the twins in the corridor.

The stone halls seemed endless, the lit columns sparkling either way.

"What were they arguing about?" Fred asked.

"Me being in Hufflepuff," I sighed. "I don't understand. I can't help it."

"Did you ask the Sorting Hat to put you in Slytherin?" They asked.

"Yeah," I frowned. "It obviously disagreed."

"Yeah," they agreed.

"Fred! George!" All three of us looked at Percy who was glaring at all of us. "What are you doing out here?"

"Plotting," the twins replied with identical smiles.

"We're going to explore the castle tomorrow," I answered.

"No pranks," Percy warned. "It will only cause Gryffindor to lose the house cup again."

"House cup?" The three of us asked.

"The Head of the House will explain in your common room," Percy said. "Back to the feast, all of you."

The three of us grumbled under our breath and parted ways, me heading to almost the other side of the Grand Hall while the twins headed down the middle to their table.


	4. Chapter 4

As a collective group, all the houses left the Grand Hall. Everyone separated at a branch, the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor heading up the stairs while Slytherin and Hufflepuff headed down. At some point, the Slytherins continued down the stairs while Hufflepuffs headed down a well lit hall.

Everything was so different, their moving pictures. The Weasleys had talked about that, and that much I could believe, but some of these pictures were paintings. There were living painted people having conversations with passing students.

Soon, we came to the end of the hall where there were some barrels were piled against the wall.

"First years gather round," Paul said.

We scrambled to the front as he pulled his wand from his sleeve, "now, you need to remember this or you will regret it."

He tapped his wand on a small barrel five times. I stared in shock as the wall moved, showing an opening to what appeared to be a brilliantly lit room. Though I was certain we were underground, the room was lit up like the sun was shining down. The room was decorated in gold and black, the theme colors of Hufflepuff. Large sofas and fluffy chairs lined the room as well as a few large desks for studying in the common room. The room was flooded with healthy looking plants of all kinds, some not even native to Europe.

"First years, you're at the top," Paul stated. "Boys, if you have problems, come to me. Girls, please speak with Quinn since she is the Head Girl."

An older woman with unruly grey hair sticking out in every direction under a small sun Hat stepped to the center of the room. She was dressed in yellow, and was rather plump for someone to be working in this stair infested school. There were faded dirt stains in her robes and the brightest smile I had ever seen on a woman her age.

"I am your head of house," she announced. "My name is Professor Sprout and I teach herbology." She gestured to the thriving plants around the room, who managed to grow beautifully despite the lack of sun. "Now, there are a few rules I must cover. Other houses are not allowed in here. The kitchen is down the hall, but you should know better than to tickle a pear." She gave a wink as many of us smiled or laughed. "Also, do your best. Hufflepuff hasn't won the House Cup in ages. Try to keep up with your school work and remember to help each other. We're a family now. Smaller than most, but a family nonetheless. Any questions?"

"Yeah, why did we get stuck with the monster?" One of the other first years, Henry Griggs asked.

All eyes moved to me, including Professor Sprout who had lost her smile to a very stern gaze. Her attention moved to the silenced students waiting for her answer. "Boys, girls, you will not treat Ms. Carrow like she has a contagious disease. Vampirism cannot be spread until adulthood. Also, Ms. Carrow has never harmed anything or anyone due to this change. We are Hufflepuffs. People matter to us. The reason you were placed in this house is because you have a very pure heart and clear intentions. You have your goals, but you will put anyone ahead of yourself. That is why Ms. Carrow is here. She is not in Slytherin where some of the crueler students are. She is here. I understand how kids are, but if I hear one word of anyone being mean to Ms. Carrow due to her vampirism, house points will be taken and detention will be given. I do not know what the other houses are doing about the situation, but I will not play favorites on this topic."

Everyone was dismissed, most heading up the stairs to their respective dormitories, but I stayed in the common room to look at everything. It felt outdoorsy, like I was actually living in some sort of mushroom cottage and summer was fresh with the scents the flowers were giving. Soon, the sunlight turned silver, the center light of the room glowing like the moon. The bowled ceiling even appeared to have stars.

Deciding that was enough, I made my way up the stairs, passing the other dormitories until I got to the top. I could hear the girls on the other side of the door whispering, my name occasionally popping up. Part of me wanted to go see the old Headmaster, Dumbledore and see if I could be placed in Gryffindor where the Weasleys didn't discriminate.

No, I was better than that. After a steadying breath, I opened the door, silencing the girls. There were four others, Lorelei Legion, Crystal Loveless, Angel Toccata, and Mary Blackthorne.

Lorelei Legion was from Cardiff, Wales. Her brown frizzy hair was unkept and badly cut, something she had stated at the table. She had flashing blue eyes and delicate skin. There was a nasty glare on her face, showing that she was in fact the dominant one of the group.

Crystal Loveless was a blond with brown eyes hailing from Leeds, England. Her hair was so straight there was no frizz to be seen. Unlike the rest of us, puberty seemed to be hitting her early due to the acne on her face. She was trying to hold a steady glare, but it turned into sympathy, as if she actually wanted to be my friend, but was either too scared or didn't want to go against Lorelei.

Angel Toccata had rich dark brown hair that was tied in a braid. Her dark brown eyes were almost glittering as she tried to fight off fearful tears. Of the group, she was the only one with glasses. She too had also reached puberty early which I could tell from her she had a spicy mandarin scent.

Mary Blackthorne had a very blank look on her face. Though blank faced, part of my vampiric instincts could tell her heart was racing. Her raven black hair was cut short in a bob, her dark eyes focusing on anything else in the room other than me.

"You can just stay over there," Lorelei said, though there was fear in her voice. "We've already requested garlic to be sent to the room to keep you over there."

My stomach lurched at the mere thought of the smell.

"Do what you want," I replied. "I've never hurt anyone before. I have plenty of bottles of dragon blood over here that keep me happy. There's nothing to worry about."

I headed to the bed where Felix was sleeping and kicked the trunk open. With a pull of the string next to my bed, the curtain was drawn so I could change in private. As I got dressed for bed, I noticed a little cactus in the perch above my bed. Silver light cascaded down, giving the cactus an enchanting gleam on its needles. After eating all that food, I had become tired, more so than I had been in years. It wasn't until I first started this dragon blood diet that I realized I had been missing a lot of sleep. My parents and I knew I suffered from insomnia, but now we knew why.

Once I climbed into bed, I snuggled under the warm sheets with a content smile. The silver light dimmed but didn't disappear. That was good enough for me. It was a comfortable bed, and I was more than happy to sleep there. My quest to find the cue had begun. There was no way I would fail.

First thing in the morning, I got up to go to the Great Hall. Again, the girls in my dorm avoided me, not even speaking while I finished tying my tie and walking out of the room. Over my shoulder was my backpack, holding all my parchment, quills, ink, notebooks and pens. Felix slept on my shoulder, occasionally squirming when I had to adjust the backpack.

When I finally arrived for breakfast, the twins were standing outside, talking to each other and grinning mischievously. "Morning," I greeted, stifling w yawn.

"Morning," they smiled. "Ready to explore?"

"After breakfast," I replied as I headed in the hall, the twins talking quietly behind me.

Again, I was given blood based food. Unsurprisingly, I sat alone, near the front of the table by the teachers. Taking my backpack off and placing it behind me, I pulled Felix off my shoulder, his claws getting stuck in my hair. I grabbed a small plate and poured some milk into a saucer as well crumpling black pudding and placing it next to it.

Just as I had finished eating, I reached for my bag only to have it snatched from my grip. To my surprise, the boy from the night before stood there, looking through my bag. I couldn't remember his name for the life of me, but when he started laughing, I knew I was in trouble.

"What's with all this junk? You're a witch!"

My jaw dropped as I saw him toss my bag toward the lit fireplace a few feet away. To my surprise, Charlie caught it, a glare fixed on his face.

"I see you're still as troublesome as you were last year," Charlie spat. "She was raised by Muggles. Go back to your table, Cardiff."

The black haired Slytherin stormed off, muttering terrible things about the Weasleys. Charlie handed me my bag, "There. Fred and George are about to drive me insane if they don't stop asking for you to see them."

"Charlie, if he's a first year like me, why did you say last year?"

"His brother is in Bill's year. We met in Diagon Alley. His brother isn't so bad. Or, at least, he's not so cruel to Muggle-borns. He's dating one. Now, go meet Fred and George. They hand out the class lists tomorrow."

When I got out of the Great hall, the twins were grinning ear to ear. "Where to first?"

"Let's go to the bottom move to the top." I answered and headed toward the dungeons where I could drop my bag off.

After a quick stop at the Hufflepuff common room, the twins and I roamed the corridors. They told me to use my "predator instinct" to find any sort of secret passage. The instinct was something we had learned about from the knowledgeable Charlie Weasley who seemed to love magical creatures more than his family.

According to him, vampires were always hungry, but dragon blood could make a vampire feel human enough to where they don't think they need to feed for a while. Though the hunger was gone, the longing to hunt and kill was still there. Of course, since he wasn't a vampire, he had no idea how it worked or how it felt. Even all the books I had didn't have that information in them. After an hour in the dungeons near the Slytherin House, I realized what it was.

While I was poking around behind a suit of armor, heavy footsteps echoed, heading straight for us. The three of us squeezed behind a suit of armor, all making sure the armor didn't fall or rattle too much.

The first thing I noticed was the man's lengthy stride. The black cloak he was wearing shortened him, making his walking appear to be awkward for his height. Disgusting greasy hair was next on my list followed by dark eyes with a raging scowl on his thin lips.

I had no doubt this was the potions master of Hogwarts since we had just passed the classroom possibly thirty minutes ago. Professor Snape was his name. Compared to the sweet, plump woman I met the night before, Professor Sprout, Snape was utterly disgusting and disturbing. I was thankful to not be in that house.

He searched the suits of armor, pulling Fred and George from their hiding holes. I was certain I had been caught when he saw me behind the armor, but he didn't pull me out or even have a look on his face that showed I was there.

Fred and George were laughing and talking as they got led away by Professor Snape to see Professor McGonagall, the head of Gryffindor. I stepped out, watching the vibrant red heads disappear up the stairs and around the corner. I tugged on a piece of my hair, looking at the bright blond color and thinking back to the twins. My hair was just as bright, if not brighter. How had he missed me?

Stepping out of the hiding spot, I watched as they continued on. I saw Fred glance over his shoulder and throw me a wink to tell me to continue searching. He was right. I had to continue.

With house close I was to where I assumed the Slytherin common room would be, I thought there would be at least one hidden passageway.

"You there!"

I turned to a painting glaring at me, his dark eyes studying me closely. "A vampire, huh? I think there are a few dow here somewhere. What's a mud-blood like you doing here?"

"Shut up, Ricardo," a dark voice from behind me growled.

"Thomas! Come to pick up your pet?"

I turned to an older man dressed in a very posh suit with a purple fold. From his sneer, I could tell he, too, was a vampire, though painted. Thomas narrowed his eyes, examining me. His sneer slowly turned confused, "You're in Hufflepuff? Vampires belong in Slytherin or Ravenclaw."

"It's probably because I've never had human blood before. I was raised by Muggles. We just assumed I was dying since the doctors couldn't help."

Thomas gave a quiet chuckle, "It seems you have much to learn, young one. Of all the portraits in Hogwarts, the are only three vampires. Other than me, there is a pale haired woman near the Astrology Tower that seems to enjoy singing off tune funeral songs, and a rather large man sitting at a cannibalistic feast."

I scratched the back of my head, "I don't really know that much about vampires yet, but basic Muggle lore says they only drink blood."

"That is correct," Thomas confirmed. "Personally, that painting disgusts me. I enjoy the calmer landscapes or fruit pictures, myself, though occasionally, I will visit a fight or graveyard. You see, we are only depicted as being dead since we are drinking someone else's life. While that is true, that doesn't make us dead, not entirely, at least. Similar to the wretched, worthless scum that walk this earth who dare to drink the blood of a unicorn are cursed, so are vampires. We're just not entirely human anymore. There's a part of us missing, which makes us a bit harder to kill. It's unknown what that part is," he stated from my questioning gaze. "Some say it's our conscience since we so willingly drink the blood of the living. Others say it's our heart. Not the organ, but the figurative heart, which is usually a mixture of conscience, emotions, intelligence, and wit."

"What does that mean?" I asked curiously.

"More or less, it means we are creatures unable to feel remorse for the actions we take. If we're hungry, we won't hesitate to kill someone. People are simply blood banks with legs. We're also very cunning and charismatic. I have no doubt, that within the next few years you'll be able to convince Ricardo that he can leave his painting. You'll be a hunter, young one."

"Unable to feel remorse," I mused quietly as my eyes moved to the floor.

Now that I was thinking about it, I didn't feel any remorse for the twins getting in trouble. No, that couldn't be remorse.

"Since you were placed in Hufflepuff, I can imagine you still have some morals," Thomas muttered with a slight glare. "You care too much. You wouldn't be able to kill anyone' much less harm someone."

The sudden change in his attitude made me scowl, "I was put where I belong."

"Don't worry about him," Ricardo called from the other side of the room. "He's just mad he never got to graduate Hogwarts due to his vampirism."

At that moment, Thomas seemed to fall back into his former charismatic self, as he scoffed and folded his arms over his chest, "Can you believe the potions master at that time tried to make us create a poison for vampires? There was so much garlic in that room, I couldn't even go to the dungeons for the exam. Since it was a N.E.W.T, I couldn't do it again." He sighed, "Ironically enough, I still managed to find a position in the Ministry of Magic as an accountant in the exchange of Muggle money and Wizard coin."

"How is that ironic?" I asked.

"One of the people in the office brewed the potion and snuck it into one of my daily drinks. Killed me on the spot."

"I don't think that's ironic," I mumbled.

"That's your opinion," he sassed. "You're eleven. You don't know anything."


	5. Chapter 5

Thomas chatted a bit more about vampires, giving me more information than Charlie (or any other book) had been able to provide. Though he was a pure vampire, he said the victims who are turned, or what he referred to as the departed, were, with time, able to gain similar, if not the same, abilities.

Hiding in plain sight was his favorite. Being able to just "disappear" or somehow manage to trick surrounding minds to turn him into what could best be described as physical white noise. Seen, but not noticed, even when someone is specifically looking for you.

He told me shadows would be my friend. The sun wasn't going to explicitly destroy me, but it could tire me and render me sickly and useless.

"A sick vampire is a dead vampire," he told me. "We easily get sun poisoning, so use sunscreen at the Quidditch matches."

He also gave me an interesting tidbit of information that made me want to start potions immediately. It was a potion with chameleon blood that, when placed in other food or drinks, made the items safe for vampires to eat, while still maintaining the original flavor of the food. The down side to it was humans also became more appetizing, so if I made it, I would have to be careful.

"And that's all I have for you right now," he finally said as he walked out of his ivory frame to a bronze one with a goose at the side of a lake. "Come back next year, and I'll give you more information on vampires."

"Why next year?" I asked.

"Whenever I am unable to see you walking alone in this corridor, you will have mastered the disappearing act most vampires have. Every year I'll give you a new ability to master. Since you're a departed, it will probably take you all year to learn the things I tell you. Once you're able to disappear in plain sight, we'll work on the next one."

He turned away, dismissing me so I wandered farther down the hall for the hiding spots and secret passages. Just as I passed a suit of armor, I heard it creak. Taking a couple steps back, I stood in front of it, watching it for a moment. Unlike the other suits, this one had its sword drawn and was holding it in front of its face.

I felt rather stupid as I gathered up the courage to speak with the inanimate object. I just wanted to see if it would move. "Excuse me, kind sir, but would you allow me to pass?"

It didn't move.

"Excuse me, sir, but I would like to pass."

Nothing happened.

"Please, sir, I hate to be a bother, but I really must get by."

It took three steps forward, the wall sliding down and revealing a dark passageway. I stepped through the hole and turned back to the armor. "Thank you. Your kindness will not be forgotten."

The armor returned to its place, the sword at its side as the wall rose, leaving me in absolute darkness. With a heavy sigh, I began my ascension of the stair. Disgusting mold stunk up the hall, the wall and steps slimy and disgusting. After what felt like hours of walking, the stair came to an end. When I stepped out, I had no idea where I was. I was outside the castle staring at the lake. I turned back to the wall to see a small gargoyle standing in the way.

There was no way I could get back in there now. I started to follow the wall, hoping to find my way back to the entrance of the castle. Just as I turned the corner, I ran into someone. Fred and George were absolutely beaming with excitement. If their smiles got any bigger, I was certain their heads would split in half.

"First day and we've already gotten detention," Fred said, his smile never fading.

"Filch is making us clean the trophy room," George explained as he pulled some old parchment from his robe.

"We took this from Filch's office."

"What does it do?" I asked as I took the paper from him.

"We were hoping you could figure it out," Fred stated.

"It's probably evil and tricky like you're supposed to be," George explained.

"Speaking of which, I met a vampire in a painting today after you got caught. He told me he would basically teach me how to be a vampire. One thing at a time though. I have to disappear in plain sight, though I'm almost certain that's not possible."

"Wicked," they grinned as I started unfolding the parchment.

"It's folded like a map," I mumbled as I looked at it. Scrambling for my wand, I truly hoped it was. This place felt like it was bigger than London, and I definitely knew how to get lost when visiting there.

I touched my wand to the paper, "Show me Hogwarts."

To my surprise, red ink began to show.

Mr. Moony wishes to express his genuine appreciation to the finding of this parchment. However, Ms. Carrow's manners need some work.

Mr. Prongs agrees with Mr. Moony, though does understand the actual need of a map for the school.

Mr. Padfoot wishes for Ms. Carrow to understand there has been no harm done.

Mr. Wormtail would like to express it does not discriminate.

I scratched the back of my head, "I've never been sassed by a piece of paper before." Placing my wand back on the parchment, I cleared my throat, "I ask for your forgiveness and pass you to the ones who will be able to use your hidden knowledge better than I."

The ink disappeared before coming back, saying only all is well, Ms. Carrow.

"This is amazing!" They chimed as Fred placed the parchment in his robe pocket.

"So, where did you come from?" Feed asked as he looked around.

"There," I replied as I looked at the gargoyle. "There's a suit of armor in the dungeons that you can talk to that will move out of the way so you can walk up some stairs and down a long hall. With how long I walked I thought I was at the top of the school."

"We found a couple of interesting places as well," George spoke up as we headed toward the entrance of the castle. "There's a tapestry outside the Great Hall that has a hidden room that will levitate you to the fourth floor."

"There's also painting outside the Gryffindor common room that you can actually reach into and pull out a key. There's a room a short walk away that's locked, and the key goes to it." Fred told me.

"What's in the room?" I asked.

"We'll show you," they grinned as they practically dragged me to the stairs.

I felt my heart plummet when I saw the staircase move. There was this small gap that I could only imagine falling to my death.

"It's not as bad as it seems," Fred smiled.

"We won't let you fall," George assured.

I wasn't entirely excited about the arrangement, but I followed them up the moving stair case anyway. A couple times we had to wait for the blasted thing to come back and only once were we stuck in the middle of it.

When we arrived at the seventh floor, I felt dizzy from the height, but still ran to a nearby window to look out at the world. Hufflepuff didn't have this, the lake and the forest. It was also warmer up there, though not as warm as the Hufflepuff common room.

"Here we are," the twins said as they came to a stop in front of a rusty old painting.

The canvas was old and worn like it had been in the rain. Unlike the other paintings, no one wanted to even get near this one. Fred reached in and pulled out a very shiny key. It was jagged and spiral and bigger than his hand.

I followed them to a cupboard that had small trinkets of sorts, like small lions and other representations of Gryffindor. The lock on the cupboard didn't match the key whatsoever, but when Fred put the key in front of the lock, the key changed to fit the lock, allowing him to unlock the cupboard. I picked up one of the golden lion statues and promptly put it back when it tried to bite me.

The back of the cupboard seemed to just fall away, taking the decorations with it. Everything, including the shelves, had become two-dimensional and fallen to the floor like a sheet. Darkness loomed behind it, thick and almost suffocating. Still, I followed the twins in.

There was a strange rancid smell to the dark room, like vinegar and dust. Something was rotting and there was some sort of liquid bubbling somewhere. Out of habit, I placed my hand on the wall to turn on the light switch, but only felt cold, rough stone covered in mold and moss. It must have been forgotten about long ago.

When flames finally lit the room, I stood in awe at the amount of jars on the wall and things hanging from the ceiling. Walking up to the jars, I gently poked and prodded each of them. So many strange things, newt eyes, bat wings, blood of all kinds, bird feathers, eagle talons, unicorn horns.

"It's a potions room," George told me.

"I'd guess there are plenty throughout the castle, but I doubt anyone in Gryffindor will be using this," Fred explained as he picked up a box and opened it. Moths flew out, circled him, then went right back to the box and the lid slammed shut on its own.

"Except us," George smiled.

"Except us," Fred confirmed.

The things I could do, the things I could learn. Only, I had no one to test them on. I chewed my lip while looking around the room. No mice or anything, really. Even though we were told to stay out of the Forbidden Forest, I was certain I could find mice there.

"You don't think Hufflepuff would have one?" I asked them.

"Not one that Slytherin hasn't sabotaged," Fred grumbled.

I wondered if Slytherin truly was that bad. Their head of house would have a fit if he knew. Would they actually risk it?

"So, how was your first night?" George asked as they left the room, locking the cupboard behind them.

The back had returned to its original state, the Gryffindor figurines displayed and moving around a bit more.

"Dismal," I replied with a frown. "My roommates practically separated the room since they think I'm going to drink their blood in the middle of the night. Someone even asked why I wasn't in Slytherin where the other monsters are. Professor Sprout said she would be taking points from anyone who says anything about me being a vampire."

The twins gasped.

"A vampire in Hogwarts?" Fred asked dramatically as he turned to his brother. "George, what are we going to do?"

"I don't know, Fred," he answered dismally. He suddenly snapped his fingers with a grin, "I know! We could bathe in garlic!"

"Or wear a scarf year round!"

The two looked at me with easy, gentle smiles, "Or be her friend."

Fred began, "You know what they say-"

"-keep your friends close-"

"Psychotic serial killers that want to drink your blood in the middle of the night closer," they ended together, both winking.

I couldn't stop the smile on my face. To my surprise, someone grabbed my face and stuck their finger in my mouth to keep my lips up.

"Charlie, what are you doing?" The twins deadpanned.

"It's not every day you get to see a vampire's fang," the older brother of the twins said.

"Do you want one?" I asked between my teeth so I wouldn't scratch him.

Charlie froze his place, his eyes glowing like a child on Christmas morning. "You mean it?"

"Well, yeah," I replied as I wiped the saliva from my lips that had built up while he was messing with me. "They grow back in a day."

"How did you learn that?" The twins asked.

"I got hit in the face with a baseball bat. Broke my nose, a part of my skull, and knocked out five teeth. My teeth were back in a day and the other injuries healed after a month or two."

Charlie suddenly pulled out his wand and pointed it at my mouth. "Open up," he ordered. Reluctantly, I obliged the command. "Aufero!"

The pull was quick and clean, though there was still blood in my mouth. I frowned as my tongue ran over the empty hole in my mouth while Charlie, Fred, and George stared at the tooth in his hand. It didn't look like a typical fang, like a snake has. It was straighter, almost stake-like, but the tip of the tooth was sharper than any needle.

"Come look at this," Charlie said as he gently picked up the tooth.

I was surprised to see two very small hold in the back of my teeth. "Are they cavities?" I asked with a frown.

"No, when vampires bite someone, they have both an anti-coagulant and a healing element in their saliva. One of the holes is the anti-coagulant, the other is the healing." Charlie immediately placed the tooth in his pocket, "There's also a rumor that a vampire's tooth can be good luck. Other monsters will be able to smell it, and as the tooth gets older, the smell gets worse until the person holding the tooth starts smelling like a vampire. Vampires aren't dangerous, really, but people still don't like crossing paths with them. Especially in the woods. Vampires found in forests are considered rabid and disease ridden. People that get by those vampires end up throwing themselves off cliffs to rid themselves of the hallucinations and trying to eat people."

The twins and I just stood in silence, looking at the walking encyclopedia of monsters stand there, admiring the tooth in his hand.

"What's going on here?" An older student I didn't recognize asked.

Though he was in Gryffindor, he didn't act as kind as the Weasleys. He almost seemed sinister. He had curly brown hair and sparkling blue eyes. I had seen a lot of movies with men that looked like him and women seemed to throw themselves at their feet, yet there was nothing remotely attractive about him. He did smell nice though, like peaches.

"Nothing that concerns you, Franklin," Charlie replied as he put the tooth in his pocket once more.

When his blue eyes found me, he smirked, "What's a little Hufflepuff doing so far from the kitchen? Finally decided to take a look around so you won't get lost tomorrow?"

Nothing he said should have made me angry. Maybe it was that degrading tone. Maybe it was because I was a Hufflepuff in the midst of Gryffindors. Maybe it was because I actually had no purpose to enter the kitchen. Maybe I was just confident I wasn't going to get lost tomorrow and he dared to question my abilities.

"As I said," Charlie stepped in front of me, his voice bordering dangerous, "it doesn't concern you."

He scoffed as he pushed by Charlie and got very close to me, "You're the vampire, aren't you?" He had a creepy grin as he looked at Charlie, "I knew you were a bit messed up, but I didn't know you would go so far as to mess with a child."

For a brief moment, the world turned red. Quite literally, everything was shaded crimson, pink, and red. There seemed to be drums echoing all about me, many smells hitting me all at once. Cold crept over me, embracing and seeping into my veins. It began to run hot until it just stopped.

All of my senses came back at one time, but I was frozen, even my eyes were stuck, gazing at the ceiling. Unable to hear what was going on, I just waited. Finally, my body was released from the jinx' allowing me to get to my feet.

"Sorry about that," Charlie apologized as Fred and George helped me to my feet. "You two need to remember how black her eyes were. When a vampire's eyes get like that, they're about to strike."

"How do we stop her?" Fred asked.

"Any jinx will do, though charms make them less likely to be angry with you later," Charlie smiled as he placed his hand on my head. "A real vampire at school with me. I couldn't ask for a better year. Now, I've got some homework I need to finish. Have fun."


End file.
